Cargo-handling elevator



Patented Apr. 18, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CARGO-HANDLING ELEVATOR Herbert A. Kunzelman, Oakland, Calif.

Application November 3, 1947, Serial No. 783,801 7 (Cl. 187-27) 2 Claims.

This invention relates to mechanism for the transference of cargo or. the like between different levels.

An object of the invention is to provide a duplex elevator structure, designed particularly for the loading and unloading of ships, which eliminates to a great extent the wasted time incurred by the movements of empty load platforms between unloading and loading positions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a duplex elevator structure in which the load platforms are capable of opposite cyclic movements from power applied by a single winch capable of being controlled by a single operator.

A further object of the invention is to provide mechanism of the character described in which the distance of lift of both elevator load platforms may be rapidly prescribed by the process of elevating one platform to the desired level whereupon subsequent lifts of the platforms will automatically register with the chosen level without requiring observance by the hoisting winch operator.

A still further object of the invention is to provide, in structure of the class described, mechanism for very rapidly adjusting the hoisting gear to compensate for any small variations in the upper limit of travel of the elevator platforms and the ship deck or the like caused by increase or decrease in the draft of the vessel by the addition to or the removalof sizeable amounts of cargo from the vessel.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set in the following description of the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to be understood, however, that variations in the showing made by the said drawings and description may be adopted within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the cargohandling elevator of my invention showing the latter erected on a vessel, a portion of the latter being broken away so as to more clearly disclose the internal structure.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the structure illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken in the plane indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 1. 7

Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view 55 2 taken longitudinally of the hoisting drum shaft as indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view taken in the plane indicated by the line 5--5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a perspective diagrammatic view showing the cable arrangement.

Although the apparatus of my invention is characteristically a conventional elevator and is capable of use as such in stationary installations, the designed function of the apparatus is that of a lift for cargo or other material to be transferred between relatively instabilized levels such as a ships deck and a lighter or between the deck and a stationary dock.

The present generally practiced method of handling ships cargo is to utilize the hoisting gear of the vessel, including the winches and cargo booms provided for that purpose, to transfer the cargo-laden skips or slings between the main or hold decks and the dock or lighter for holdin or receiving the cargo, and at least half of the time required to load or unload a ship is consumed in waiting for the skip or slin to return to be reloaded after having deposited the previous load on the dock, deck or in the hold as the case may be. With a desire to eliminate as much as possible of this waste motion, to keep the cargo handlers busy and to thereby load or unload the ship in the shortest possible time, I have devel-- oped the improved cargo handling apparatus shown and described herein. In order to make the apparatus as universally applicable as possible so that it may be used at dockside or alongside a vessel moored in the stream, I provide a base structure preferably comprising a barge-type hull 4 which may be of a size sufficiently large to accommodate only the cargo-handling apparatus and its power supply unit or which may be made considerably larger if desired to serve as a lighter from which cargo may be loaded onto the ship or on which unloaded cargo may be received prior to being transported ashore. Mounted on the deck of the base structure 4 and rising perpendicularly therefrom, I provide a guide frame comprising a rectangularly arranged group of substantially equidistantly spaced H-bars 6 or their equivalent suitably connected together by means of header bars I and lateral bracing bars 8 to form an adequately rigid self-supporting structure. Preferably a group of nine bars 6 is used, the centermost bar and two outer bars opposed thereto formin parallel guide rails defining portions of the opposite sides of separate elevator shafts 9 and H which continue, unobstructed, from the'deck level of the base structure upwardly to the top of the guide frame or to a height somewhat beyond the level of the highest point to be served by the apparatus such as the top of a ships gunwale.

In each of the elevator shafts 9 and II is pro vided an elevator comprising a load platform l2 extending over substantially the entire cross-sectional area of the shaft and provided at opposite sides thereof with vertically rising channel bars l3 or their equivalent which are in slidable engagement with the aforesaid elevator shaft guide rails. Header bars l4 connecting the upper ends of related channel bars [3 and diagonal bracing bars l6 connecting the channel bars and load platform serve to form the assembly into a rigid unit adequately strong to lift and support the heaviest weight that it may be called upon to handle. For purposes of clarity in the latter description, the elevators will be referred to as A and B respectively.

Means is provided for simultaneously oppositelymoving the elevators in their shafts and means is further provided for primarily positioning one elevator at a preselected elevation in its shaft so as to thereafter define the paths of travel of both elevators. Mounted on the deck of the base structure 4 is a pair of separate power driven winches l1 and H3 respectively, the former of which has a cable drum l9 and the latter of which is provided with a pair of drums 2| and 22 secured together by means of keys 23 engaging the shaft 24 to rotate in unison and in the same direction. For convenience of illustration, the winches are here shown as the electrically powered type which may derive current for operation from shoreside power lines or, when work is being done in the stream, from the ships power circuits. However, it will be evident that steam-driven or other winches may be employed if desired. The hoisting cable 25 for elevator A attached to and wound around the drum 2| extends through a guide block 35, passes upwardly and over a sheave 26 journaled in the header bars I, thence over a head pulley 2'! also journaled on the header bars 1 and. positioned centrally over the elevator shaft, thence downwardly and around a sheave 28 carried by the elevator header bars l4 and finally upwardly to an anchor 29 which secures the cable to the header bars I.

The hoisting cable 36 for elevator B leaves the drum 22, with which it is connected, passes under a pair of guide blocks 3| and 32 to the side of the guide frame farthest from the winches, thence upwardly and over a sheave 33 carried by the upper portion of the guide frame, thence laterally of the frame and over a header pulley 34 carried by the frame header bars 1 and centered over the shaft of elevator B, thence downwardly and around the sheave 36 carried by the elevator header bars I4, and thence upwardly and over a header pulley 31 forming a separately journaled companion for the pulley 34. The cable just described comprises the load lift line of the elevator B and is continued from the header pulley 3'! as an intergral adjustment cable 38 which extends laterally across the top of the guide frame to the side thereof adjacent the winches, passes over a guide sheave 39 carried by the header bars 1, thence downwardly and under a guide block 4| secured to the deck of the base structure t and is then wound around and anchored to the drum l9. It should be particularly noted in Figure 6 that the hoisting cables 25 and are wound onto the drums 2| and 22 respectively in reverse directions so that, depending upon the direction of rotation of the drums, the cables will be payed out or retrieved in equal opposition to each other. It will also be noted that by rotation of the adjusting cable drum l9, independently of the hoisting cable drums 2| and 22, the elevator B may be raised or lowered in its shaft to any position between the extremities of travel thereof without affecting the position of the elevator A. It is thus possible, in conditioning the apparatus for a particular cargo handling job, to primarily operate the winch I! to raise the elevator B to a desired elevation aligned with the level of the deck or platform to or from which material is to be lifted or lowered. When such primary setting of elevator B has been attained, the holding brake 42 associated with the drum I9 is tightened by setting the brake control mechanism 43 thus securing the adjusting portion 38 of the cable against subsequent movement. Upon following operation of the winch I8 to lower the elevator B from its raised position it will be seen that as the lifting cable 30 is reeled from the drum 22, a corresponding amount of the lifting cable 23 will be reeled onto the drum 2| thus raising the elevator A a distance equal to the amount of descension of the elevator B. The apparatus is thus conditioned to automatically bring alternate elevators into registry with the predetermined upper limit of travel thereof with no vigilance on the part of the winch operator other than bringing the descending elevator to the lower limit of its desired travel.

A brake 40, which may conveniently be of the automatically operating electro-magnetic type is preferably associated with the drums 2| and 22 to securely hold the elevators at their limits of travel while they are being loaded or unloaded.

In the loading or unloading of ships, the deck level or other platform surface defining the upper extent of travel of the elevators will fluctuate with relation to the lower extent of travel thereof due to changes in draft of the vessel as cargo is loaded or removed. A similar state will exist where the apparatus of my invention comprises a fixed installation on a dock alongside of the ship's berth. Whenever such relative offsetting occurs, correction thereof may be accomplished in a matter of a few moments by the winch operator in resetting the adjusting winch drum I9 to effect realignment.

In the use of the improved lifting or cargohandling apparatus of my invention it will be seen that while one elevator platform is being unloaded, the placement of load material on the other platform may be simultaneously progressing. Thus the only time not devoted to loading or unloading is that required to move the elevators between extreme upper or lower positions in contrast to at least double this amount of time presently required for a sling or skip to make a complete cycle of movement from loading to unloading positions and back to loading position again. It will be evident therefore that a much greater amount of cargo or other material may be handled in a given time without enlargement of the presently employed loading and unloading crews since the idle time of the latter between loads has been reduced to an absolute minimum.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for moving material between first and second levels which may be variably spaced relative to each other, comprising a plurality of separate elevators arranged to reciprocate between said levels, unit power means including separate load hoisting drums associated with the respective elevators, separate cables connected with the respective hoisting drums, one of said cables having an end thereof fixedly secured and having an intermediate portion thereof engaged with and arranged to move one of said elevators, and having the opposite end thereof secured to and wound about one of said load hoisting drums in one direction, powered adjusting means including a hoisting drum, and another of said cables having an end thereof engaged with said adjusting means hoisting drum and having an intermediate portion thereof engaged with and arranged to move another of said elevators, and having the opposite end thereof secured to and wound about the other of said load hoisting drums in an opposite direction to said first cable.

2. Apparatus for moving material between first and second levels which may be variably spaced relative to each other, comprising a plurality of separate elevators arranged to reciprocate between said levels, a load-hoisting winch and a position-adjusting winch, said load-hoisting winch having dual cable drums secured together for unitary rotation, said position-adjusting winch having a single cable drum with its axis substantially paralleling the axes of said dual cable drums, a first load-hoisting cable having one end thereof engaged with and to move one of said elevators, and having the opposite end thereof secured to and wound in one direction around one of said dual drums, a second load-hoisting cable having one end thereof secured to said position-adjusting winch drum, having an intermediate portion thereof engaged with and to move another of said elevators, and having the opposite end thereof secured to and wound in an opposite direction around the other of said dual drums, means for rotating said position-adjusting drum independently of said dual drums whereby said other elevator may be selectively raised or lowered relative to said first mentioned elevator.

HERBERT A. KUNZELMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Kottgen et a1 June 25, 1901 Number 

